Knight of Faith Putting Faith in the Faithfulness of God Genesis 22: 1

Faith is the substance/reality of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (HEB. 11:1 / NKJV). To possess faith is to be loyal to God and to the gospel of Jesus Christ despite all obstacles. Life is only worth living if you have a total FAITH in God.

In letter to the Romans, Paul indicates a correlation between grace and faith (Rom 4:16; 5:1-2), and he shows that Abraham’s faith, his belief and unwavering hope in God’s faithfulness, was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham’s life was characterized by his obedience to God and he considering God to be faithful, something well noted by the early church (Hebrew 11:8-11, 17-19) and used as an example of faith in the Christian walk.

The three best known examples of Abraham’s faith and obedience are found consecutively in the departure from his homeland, the birth of his son Isaac, and the offering of Isaac as a sacrifice. However, this was not the case all the time. There are several cases that demonstrate the opposite side of Abraham, an unfaithful Abraham who jeopardizes God's plan (Gen. 12: 10 ff, 15:2-3, 16:2-4,15 and Gen 18). Therefore, the puzzling question is, what made unfaithful Abraham, a knight of faith?

Let us try to understand what it takes to become "A Knight of Faith" by looking for certain principles from his journey to Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:1-18).

A. RESIGNING INTO AN INFINITE

Abraham's first step in the terrible act of sacrificing Isaac is self-denial. If it hadn't been for his choice of self-denial, it would have remained a sheer act of obedience or a service to God, but he would not have been a Knight of Faith. Unlike in the past, when he tried to handle problems on his own, this time he completely surrenders to God.

When compared to the preceding episode in Gen 18:22ff, where he pleaded with God to spare the city of Sodom, it was a moral plea to God, a challenge to God to demonstrate his righteousness in the eyes of men. When it came to this particular occurrence, however, he did not pray for himself in the hopes of influencing God. He just realized there was nothing he could do when it came to this crucial test. I need to give myself over to God.

Christian life is a paradox. This conflict brings anxiety, and when we try to recompose new reality, it only leads to despair. Nonetheless, faith can only burst through when the person has emptied himself in the infinite without losing the site of finite. Christ has to take the place of the I / EGO (Luke 14:26). By denying oneself, one can establish an intimate relationship with God. Without having a personal relationship with God, it is impossible to know Him.

We see the true transformation of Abraham's heart taking place in this act of self-denial, echoing "not my will, but your will be done."

So now since Abraham has resigned himself into an infinite, the next appropriate step would be to wait upon the Lord by virtue of the absurd.

B. FIXING EYES ON THE LORD

Consider how ridiculous and unpleasant God's request was from a human standpoint. Isaac was Abraham's only son, and the covenant's destiny depended on him. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, he was putting his faith, hope, and love to the test, and it appeared as though God was destroying all Abraham and Sarah had worked for.

When God sends us a test, our first thought is usually, "Why, Lord?" followed by, "Why me?" We expect God to provide explanations right now. Of course, we understand that God sends tests for a cause — possibly to purify our faith (1 Peter 1:6-9), perfect our character (James 1:1-4), or even shield us from sin (2 Cor 12:7-10) — but we don't understand how these things apply to us. The fact that we seek explanations from our Father shows that we may not know ourselves or God as well as we could.

When Abraham heard God's word, he instantly put his faith in it and obeyed it. He recognized that God's will never contradicts God's promise, therefore he clung to the promise "because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned" (Gen 21:12). Even if God allowed Abraham to kill his son, Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the grave (Heb 11:17-19).

Abraham focused on God’s promises and his experiences with God. Abraham's gaze was fixated on Jehovah-Jireh, not on his predicament.

The key is to believe in the faithfulness of God even when it sounds absurd.

Abraham becomes a knight of faith by entering a personal relationship with God by self-denial and faith in the faithfulness of God.